Releasing apparatus for life-boats.



, R. TJADER. RELEASI NG APPARATUS FOR LIFE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, I914.

Patented NOV. 2, 1915 ,1I:4rI1Illlwllllllllflllflllll Rickard WITNESSESCOLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH CCL, WASHINGTON, D- C.

45 i. parting from the spirit :of the invention hereinafter more fullysetforth and specifi To all whom it may concern:

.; dicate corresponding a sT .nI-(JHARD ,TJIADER, or new YORK, N. 'Y.

BELEASING APPARATUS FOR LIFIlEl-IBOA'JIS.v

, Be itknown that I, RICHARD TJAnER, a citizen of the'United'Stategand-a' resident of the city of New York, boroughofManhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented anew andImproved Releasing Apparatu for Life-Boats, of which the following is afull, clear,- and exact description.

This'invention relates to ships, and has nipulating lifeboats from thedecks of ships.

More definitely stated, among the objects.

of the inventionis to improve the means for releasing alifeboatfrom-theropes or cables associated with the davits after'theboat approaches or reaches the water.v e A further object of theinvention is to generally improve the connections between the-davitapparatus and the lifeboat whereby the connections are made safer thande vices commonly employed for. these pur-- poses and also whereby themanipulation of the connecting devices'is made both easier and morereliable than heretofore.

' The foregoing and other objects of the vention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forminga part of this specification in which like characters of reference inandin which I I Figure 1 is'a vertical longitudinal section of a lifeboatembodying my improvement in its preferred form: Fig. 2 is a similarviewI of one end of the lifeboat on axlargerscale;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section onlthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2'; 'and Fig. lis'a detail view of one of the devices for locking the supporting hooksin normal position;

The several parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials,and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general deslgn ofthe mechan1sm,-may be varied toa considerable extent without decally.claimed.

"Referring more particularly to the drawings I show at 1 O'-'aconventional form of parts in all the views,

Specification of Letters Patent. P t ted N 2, 1915; Application filedMarch as, 1914. Serial Nb. 827,855.

the boat. The ends or points of the hooks,

extend downwardly through the top plates 7 arranged that the long armthereof swings 16 and 17 at bulkheads 1s and 19 atthe bow 7 and thestern of the boat respectively.

' Secured to each of the bulkheads in any suitable-manner, preferably tothe top/plate 16 or. 17. thereof, is a bracket 20shown as securedr1g1dly bymmeans of a horizontal Hange -2'1 tov sa1d;plate.f To (thebracket is ,secured in any suitable manner a rigid guide 22 whlch may beof any suitable form or nature, but shown herein 'Iasbeing a. tubularmember having a notch or recess 23zatyits 'upper'end as shown atFigs.".2 and 4. At the lower endof'the guide is a" flange or shoulder24:, and slidable along or within the guide is a keeper 25 having ahollow or tubular'head' 26 at its upper end adjacent the notch 23 and astem 27 extending down- Wardly from theIhead-through oralong theshoulder 24. A spring 28 surrounds the stem within the guide. The stemhas a normal tendency to maintain the head 26 of the keeper projectedupwardly alongthe side of or above the notch 23'of the guide. The po-.v

sition and form of the bracket and the-parts just described associatedtherewith are such that the end of the. hook will strike against thewall of the guideopposite thenotch asit i I swings downwardly aroundit's pivot "13 when the keeper is drawn downwardly. and when the keeperis moved to normal p0 sition by its spring, the head 26 thereof willembrace-the point of the hook.

-Any.sui table means may be provided for. 'manlpulating'the keepers towithdrawthem simultaneously'from the hooks, allowing the hooks to swingupwardly on their pivots and.

shackles are being replaced upon the hooks.

lland '12:. toreconnect the lifeboat :to the davits, the hooks. maygravitate to and lie; against the-.outsides of the keepers, and whenthekeepersare retracted as herein set-forth extending horizontally inthe same plane between a pair of side plates 33 arranged in verticalparallel planes. The plates 33 are slotted,'as indicated at 34, and amovable V pulley 35 is movable vertically between said plates andpreferably has its axes 36.projecting into or through said slots 34whereby the movable pulley is maintained with its axis in a planesubstantiallymidway between the plane of the axis 32 of the fixedpulleys and providing for movement of the pulley 35 upwardly from thehorizontal plane of the axes 32. The intermediate portion of the cable29 passes under the pulleys 31 and in a loop over the pulley'35.Connected to the pivot 36 of the movable pulley is a yoke or pair oflinks 37, and a rod 38 leads from the links 37 upwardly through theplate 17 of 'the'rear bulkhead, terminating preferably in a loop or eye39. The eye portion of the" rod 38 rests normally in a pocket 17 of saidplate 17 where it may be engaged by any suitable means as by means of alever hook 40 for drawing upwardly on the movable pulley. Since thecable 29 is maintained substantially taut by virtue of the turn buckleand the springs 27, there'will be no danger of the displacement of thecable from the pulleys nor likelihood that the pulley 35 will deviatefrom the vertical fore and aft plane illustrated. Hence, the eye 39 willalways be maintained in substantially the same normal position ready forengagement by the hook or other means for lifting upon the rod 38. Byproviding a hook lever of the character shown at40 for manipulating themovable pulley as herein set forth, there is no likelihood that anyoccupant ofthe boat may cause the boat to be releasedprematurely. Theofficer put in command of the lifeboat will, of course, understand howto use the releasing apparatus and may do so readily at the proper time;

From the description of the mechanism herein given it will follow thatany authorized person drawing upwardly upon the loose pulley 35 mayretract the keepers 25, drawing them against the tension of the springs28, and both of the keepers-will be operated substantiallysimultaneously, allow: ing both hooks to swing free at the same time;If, by reason of slightly increased friction between the cable 29 andparts of the boat between the actuating mechanism and the bow of theboat, the'spring 28. at

the stern may be slightly heavier than: the

one at the how, but in any event the movement of either keeper,suflicient to release its hook, cannot be so great but that such keeperwill constitute a positive abutment insuring that the draft upon-themovable pulley will certainly release the opposite keeper.

By the use of my improved lifeboat launching devices, it is possible andpractical for a lifeboat to be launched and manipulated from a shipwhile the ship is in full speed, making it possible, for instance, for arescue to be effected in much less time than would be required to firststop or turn the ship. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a lifeboat releasing apparatus, the combinationwith a lifeboat and a pair of hooks pivoted thereto and having theirpoints projecting downwardly and inwardly towardthe center of theboat,of a pair of spring pressed slidable keepers serving normally tohold the points of the hooks in locking position, tubular guiding meansconfining the movement of the keepers in straight lines, a cableextending from one keeper to the other, a series of direction pulleysmounted on fixed axes between the keepers and cooperating with thecable, a movable pulley arranged in a loop of the cable between itsends, and means to draw the movable pulley away from the plane of thefixedpulley axes to cause tension to be applied through the cable uponthe keepers simultaneously to withdraw them from the points of thehooks.

2. In lifeboat releasing apparatus, the combination with a lifeboat anda pair of hooks pivotally connected at the bow and stern thereof, of apair of brackets secured adjacent said hooks, each bracket havingassociated therewith a tubular guide, a keeper having a hollow headadapted to reciprocate in said guide, a spring acting upon the keeperserving to normally project it above the guide into position to engagethe point of the hook, a cable extending from one keeper to the other,and actuating means cooperating with a loop of the cable between thekeepers and applying. such tension to the cable aswill release bothkeepers from their hooks simultaneously againstthe tension of saidsprings.

3. The combination with a lifeboat and a pair of hooks connected to thebow and stern thereof respectively, of a bracket fixed in positionadjacent each hook, each bracket having a tubular guide provided at itsupper end with a notch, a keeper movable in said guide and cooperatingwith the adjacent hook when innormal position, each keeper comprising atubular member adapted to telescope over the point of the book aftersaid point has passed through said notch, "a sprlng acting betweenpneend of the guide.

adjacent the actuating means being heavier I than the other.

4. In releasing apparatus for lifeboats,

the combination with a lifeboat and movable engaging members connectedthereto at the stern and bow, of a bracket adjacent each movable member,means associated with the bracket to limit the downward movement ofeachmember, a movable keeper cooperating with the movable member andadapted to hold it in holding position, a flexible member extending fromone keeper to-the other, means acting upon the keepers to hold them inengaging position, actuatingmeans 00- operating with said flexiblemember between the keepers but adjacent the stern, a verticallyextending rod leading from said loop and having an eye at its upper end,and a loose lever having a hook intermediate its ends adapted to engagesaid eye for applying draft upon the flexible member for with-' drawingboth keepers simultaneously from engaging position. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD'TJADER.

Witnessesz GEO. L. BEELER, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

